Wii U Thread

I'm not saying that's the way it should be, but it's the way it is; if not higher.

I agree. They've made it this way themselves, and it's too late to really fix it at this point. Maybe later on with firmware updates they could bang out some kind of workable online infrastructure. Who knows. I have zero interest in whatever third party stuff they've got going on this time around. I haven't even looked into it because the market in general was so bad on the Wii that it makes me sad to think about it. At least on other systems, the crap games try to disguise themselves with interesting titles - with the Wii, it was lazy stuff like "Carnival Games", or "Catz", or "Go Vacation", or "The Black Eyed Peas Experience". This is the majority of what I saw when I went to the store to browse what had been released, and it killed all interest I had in sifting through all that crap to find the diamond in the rough. It's like going to a free Flash games website and sifting through 20,000 Texas Hold-em and Toss This Character As Far As You Can clones to get to Canabalt or Don't Look Back. It's hard to tell what's even genuinely good outside of first-party releases on review sites because they're working with a catalog that's so flooded with bad, it's hard not to inflate even minor successes. On the other end of the spectrum, if you knew there was a quality multiplatform release coming out, you also knew the Wii was going to get shafted with the stripped-down version due to either internal hardware, controller, or online limitations of the console. The rare third party exclusive that was also good tended to be of the party game only variety, like Boom Blox, because they knew that's what would sell. If I ever get around to buying a Wii U, it'll be because I want to see what Mario looks like with shiny new graphics. They're free to prove me wrong, and I'd love to see it otherwise, but I don't think that'll happen.

I want to pickup a Wii U but it looks like I missed the preorder window. Hopefully it is not impossible to find in stock for years like the Wii was. My wife managed to pickup a Wii on my birthday at launch somehow. She still won't tell me how much she paid for it. Insists it "fell off the back of a truck."

A friend of mine went to Walmart yesterday and was able to preorder with pickup due on launch day.

I was thinking of getting one myself, but I've decided to hold off for a few months at least.

Pretty sure that's the case for 360 and PS3 as well. EA always plays by their own rules when it comes to online.

Yup. They strongarmed Microsoft into allowing them to require players to log into their previous system for multiplayer games instead of using the Xbox Live infrastructure for it as well. All the good will that EA has created in me over the previous few years in trying to rise above their past ways of doing things (and the current Activision model) is being quickly pissed away...

I don't like Origin, but I can live with it if all I need to do is create an account (and not have to download anything). Don't they already do something similar with the 360 and PS3 as well?

Nope. Once again..... them slowly pushing people to buy 3rd party games on other platforms.

Seriously though, Monster Hunter, whatever new 3D Mario game they make, and the new Zelda game justify a purchase of the Wii U for me though. I'm sure there will be some other good games too. A new Dragon Warrior game on Wii U would be amazing too. There are some under-the-radar RPGs by 3rd party publishers on even the current Wii that are decent. Things like that will keep them in competition. Making each game developer provide their own separate online services won't make them any new friends.

I got the chance to play with a Wii U controller at Target. Unfortunately, I couldn't play games, only watch videos. Is this also true at Best Buy?

At any rate, I was pleasantly surprised at the controller. It looks like it would be awkward and heavy. It is actually much lighter than I was expecting. I was surprised by this. As for awkwardness, it is quite comfortable. I don't think it would be fun to use one-handed for an extended period of time, but maybe if it was supported on your lap, it would be okay. The touchscreen is not as responsive as the tablets (iPad or Nexus 7) or smartphones (e.g., a HTC Rezound) I have or have played with.

I am definitely interested in the system, but I think I'm going to take a wait and see approach. Let's see how the software looks a few months down the road. Will it get any exclusives? Will it at least get ports of games from 360 and PS3? We know many Nintendo games will be there, but the two I am most interested in are Zelda and Metroid and they are MIA.

I went to Best Buy today to see if they had a demo unit. They did but it wasn't hooked up

I was able to pick up the controller and check it out. I have to say I'm pretty happy with the size, weight, and button layout. I think I would enjoy playing games on it in TV mode and just locally on the tablet.

Saw a demo unit at Target. It was pretty locked down to just videos, most I've seen anyway. The pad was kinda nice, not heavy but not going to blow away either. I think you could sit on it on the couch without much issue, which is probably sorta the point. I was primarily looking for info on the TVii, and it did have a TV button, but that didn't do anything. Sigh.

I did find an interview where they talked a bit on the TVii (sorry, forgot to bookmark the link) - I guess the Tivo and Cable TV doesn't pass through the WiiU at all. The pad has the guide, but uses the IR to change channels and inputs for you like a universal remote. He said the TVii is all on the pad until you select something. He said when hulu/netflix/amazon are running they have control over both screens, so I suppose it's going to vary what they do with the two screens. This was in response to a question on the social integration, so no social interaction for Netflix I guess, but that would get a meh form me anyway. But you should be able to share your ooohs and aaahs over the live TV. No mention of local content playback, but I think it's a fair assumption that it isn't going to happen. My last hope there is a Plex app. I didn't find a Wii plex app, but maybe this will stir up some developer interest.

Over all I think the WiiU TVii aspect is going to land right around "competent, but not extraordinary universal remote" free with your console. Consider a harmony remote with color screen is, what? north of two hundred? Depends in part on if they have "generic remote" or "Harmony remote" level of programing and codes. And it has a guide. I wish they had HDMI pass-through.

The fact that TVii has a channel integrated content search is almost enough for me to consider using a WiiU to replace the PS3 as my media center. It doesn't play back DVDs or Blu-Rays though does it? If only someone with the know-how could develop a Plex plugin to do an integrated search across all of the Video Channels that are installed, then I might not need for an expensive device to get this functionality (considering either the Raspberry Pi or the new "$99 Supercomputer" as a Linux Plex Media Center device).

If you want to know how TVii works, I think you can just download i.TV on Android (iOS version probably is available).

They are made by the same company. Essentially you enter your zip/postal code, then select service provider (or OTA). Then it will be like an interactive program guide except you can also search Netflix and stuff. I think it should almost function the same (given the screenshot available) EXCEPT no integrated remote on Android/iOS obviously.

It was pretty useful for OTA since there is no TV guide otherwise. I can simply select a program and then see which channel (or Netflix) offer it at what time.

I went to Toy r us, BestBuy and gamestop yesterday and none of them has any WiiU demo station.

New Nintendo Direct video today reveals details about online functionality. Seems to take a page from the PS3 - you can create up to 12 user accounts on a console, and those users can (but not necessarily have to) be tied into a Nintendo Network account for online access. The NN account allows for online play in games as well as purchasing games from the eShop. The video also hints at the Nintendo Network account being extended to other, possibly-non-Nintendo devices in the future.

Looks like Polygon's got a whole bunch more info on how the system works, including transferring downloads and save games from the Wii to the Wii U as well as a bunch of info from the manual. Good stuff.

Got a chance to play the Rayman demo at Best Buy yesterday, and was pretty impressed. Since getting a capable PC I've been gaming mostly on that, so I was planning on sitting this one out, but it looked and played great, tablet screen looked good, and the tablet functionality with the game was pretty cool (basically controlling the environment while Rayman runs and jumps on his own). I was also surprised how good the tablet controller felt in my hands, they designed the hell out of that thing with ridges in all the right places, though it won't really be put to the test until I can get an extended session with it.

I'm getting the itch a bit, but Deluxe pre-orders seem to be all sold out, and i'm travelling to visit family for Thanksgiving week the day it releases, so it looks like I'll be forced to wait anyway.

For backward compatibility, you have to enter the "Wii mode", which look exactly the same as the current Wii UI. You cannot launch Wii game directly from WiiU, nor off screen play works, everything is at 480p.

For backward compatibility, you have to enter the "Wii mode", which look exactly the same as the current Wii UI. You cannot launch Wii game directly from WiiU, nor off screen play works, everything is at 480p.

wtf Nintendo

Doesn't sound crazy to me. Sounds like what most people expected. If the Wii U was ever going to upscale games or run them at a higher res, I might actually be interested in getting one to play games like Xenoblade in a non-shitty resolution.

Called around to the local Target and Walmart stores with no luck. Meijer is not taking preorders and just doing first come first serve at midnight. I think I'm going to get there around 9pm and see if the line is short enough to get one.

For backward compatibility, you have to enter the "Wii mode", which look exactly the same as the current Wii UI. You cannot launch Wii game directly from WiiU, nor off screen play works, everything is at 480p.

wtf Nintendo

This is exactly how GC compatibility works on the Wii.

Which makes me wonder if the WiiU is once again 4 gamecubes duct-taped together. The Wii could enter GC-mode because the Wii used exactly the same chips as the GC; just clocked at a higher rate. GC mode just down-clocked the system.

Where exactly did you read this backwards compatibility detail though? Wikipedia doesn't have it. If the WiiU is in fact using the same chips as the Wii, it should also be backwards compatible with the GC. But it's not.

And if the WiiU really is just 4 gamecubes duct-taped together, that would once again mean that devs are limited to hard-wired shader functions instead of fully-programmable shading. If that were true, I wouldn't expect games like Arkham City to be ported over so rapidly and all the comments about its similarity to the 360/PS3. I betting that the WiiU either has a physical Wii chipset for backwards compatibility just like the PS3 did at first or has all the shader functions built-in to the WiiU CPU/GPU MCM. It must in order to have full backwards compatibility with Wii games.

That's intriguing from a dev perspective since some of the hardware-based shader shader capabilities of the GC/Wii (just as performing multiple texture passes) were very efficient/fast. The best looking games on the WiiU would therefore need to combine the hard-wired texture functions with custom shader routines. That would be an interesting quirk.

For backward compatibility, you have to enter the "Wii mode", which look exactly the same as the current Wii UI. You cannot launch Wii game directly from WiiU, nor off screen play works, everything is at 480p.

wtf Nintendo

This is exactly how GC compatibility works on the Wii.

Which makes me wonder if the WiiU is once again 4 gamecubes duct-taped together. The Wii could enter GC-mode because the Wii used exactly the same chips as the GC; just clocked at a higher rate. GC mode just down-clocked the system.

Where exactly did you read this backwards compatibility detail though? Wikipedia doesn't have it. If the WiiU is in fact using the same chips as the Wii, it should also be backwards compatible with the GC. But it's not.

I think the duct tape analogy is overused. You can use the DOS 5 environment with Intel Ivy Bridge CPU, but that doesn't mean Ivy bridge is just 283712983 80386 duct tape together. I just think Nintendo implementation is awkward. You can have a wrapper that intercept the "Wii mode" that make it looks like an integrated feature from the user.

Nintendo released a youtube video today going over the various WiiU features, and while the whole 'I play a game, while my wife watches Sparkly Housewives or whatever' is commonly cited, they brought up what (to me) is a fantastic use for the Gamepad. Playing a game while watching a sport (football, soccer, baseball, etc.) on TV. Many sports have significant down-time and boring spots. Instead of flicking to another channel on the TV, the Gamepad and it's content is right there!

As for the CPU holding back the next gen, I can't see it happening too much. Most as the basic CPU of the PS3 would have been holding back this gen. The PS3 has a single core, 2 hardware threads (PPU) processor with the 7 cells (SPU). The 360 has a 3 core version of the PS3 main CPU. Also remember that the SPU's are not general processors.Hell I've seen a number of situations where the Wii CPU has performed better then the PS3 CPU.

As for having to load up the Wii environment, it makes sense seeing it's also handling the Wii firmware/OS (which has built in fixes for some games) as well as handling the downloaded games and DLC and the Wii Channels.

As for the CPU holding back the next gen, I can't see it happening too much. Most as the basic CPU of the PS3 would have been holding back this gen. The PS3 has a single core, 2 hardware threads (PPU) processor with the 7 cells (SPU). The 360 has a 3 core version of the PS3 main CPU. Also remember that the SPU's are not general processors.Hell I've seen a number of situations where the Wii CPU has performed better then the PS3 CPU.

As for having to load up the Wii environment, it makes sense seeing it's also handling the Wii firmware/OS (which has built in fixes for some games) as well as handling the downloaded games and DLC and the Wii Channels.

The CPU of the WiiU is crippled, whether it affects things enough to affect enemy AI/number of things happening on screen at once etc remains to be seen:

By pretty much all accounts the GPU is a pretty strong performer and shouldn't hold the system back even when the next PlayStation and Xbox hit. It may lag a bit, but not enough to significantly impede multiplatform titles (think more along the lines of PS2 vs GameCube/Xbox as opposed to Wii vs PS3/360). CPU reports are all over the map. Simply calling it a triple-core Broadway doesn't make any sense as the PPC 750 was never designed to support a multicore chip, so SOMETHING else is going on. What the details are, though, I have no idea.